BOSTON — Be sure to HONK! when you see 13-year old Blaine Stevens of Rye, NH in Boston Children’s Theatre’s (BCT) hilarious family musical HONK! Blaine plays the role of the gossipy hen ‘Maureen’ in the production that runs February 9-24 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts.

Recently featured as the niece of Kevin James’ character in the hit film Here Comes the Boom, Blaine can also be seen in the television public service announcement for Kids for Global Peace. On the New York stage, she appeared in Turtle Shell Theatre’s production of The Nickname Fairy and has been numerous BCT productions including James and the Giant Peach, Footloose The Musical, Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse and The Wedding Singer. An eighth grader at Berwick Academy, Blaine has been seen in such school productions as Aladdin and You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown. She has also worked with Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Winnie the Pooh, 101 Dalmations, Peter Pan and School House Rock.

Written by George Stiles and Anthony Drew, HONK! received the prestigious Olivier Award, Britain’s equivalent of the Tony Award. Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling, this entertaining family musical tells the story of a young bird named ‘Ugly’ whose unusual and awkward appearance triggers prejudice and ridicule among his family and friends. Join ‘Ugly’ on his journey as he meets some very interesting characters and discovers not only his true inner beauty and destiny but also finds love and acceptance along the way.

According to BCT Executive Artistic Director Burgess Clark, HONK! is a perfect fit for the theater’s 61st season. “This year our productions are extremely diverse- from HONK! to Reflections of a Rock Lobster to Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible No Good Very Bad Day- yet the common themes of tolerance and acceptance are underscored in each of the shows. It truly demonstrates how creative and adaptable theater can be and how entertaining at the same time,” said Clark. “We are also thrilled to work with director/choreographer Larry Sousa who will be a master at bringing this wonderful show to our BCT stage.”

Directing and choreographing for the first time with BCT, Larry Sousa’s credits include the upcoming Broadway production of Merry Go Round, as well as many productions with Pasadena Playhouse, Garry Marshall’s Falcon Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, Coconut Grove Playhouse, Utah Musical Theatre, Hangar Theatre and many more. An award-winning choreographer, Sousa has worked locally with SpeakEasy Stage Company and Reagle Players and he is currently on the faculty at the Boston Conservatory.

HONK! will be performed at the Roberts Studio Theatre at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St., on Feb. 9, 10, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24. All performances are at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at www.bostonchildrenstheatre.org or calling 617-424-6634, x222.